The Wish
by NJ Coffee Queen
Summary: How will a letter to Santa bring two families together?
1. Chapter 1

So, the usual "I own nothing" goes right here. Hope you enjoy the new story. I have the first few chapters written, and so long as no one else decides to dump more work on me (ya know, here at my job where I'm expected to work for the not-so-big bucks they throw at me twice a month,) I'll have more for you soon!

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Chapter 1  
_Dear Santa,_

I promise I've tried to be a really good boy this year. I didn't even get mad when Daddy made me eat peas. And they were yucky. This year I want to ask if you can bring me a new mummy. My old one left a long time ago. So I think I need a new one now. I want her to be pretty and happy. And I want her to read me stories. Can you bring me one, Santa? I know it would make my daddy really happy too.

Love,  
Scorpius

That was the letter Draco Malfoy found on his kitchen table. It was written in green crayon on the back of a crumpled up, rejected proposal that he had tossed two days earlier. Draco stared at the letter, rereading it before he folded it in half and tucked it in his back pocket. There was no way he could fulfill his son's wish, especially not when Christmas was a mere three weeks away.

His marriage had been the result of Astoria Greengrass becoming pregnant with their only son, Scorpius. She had died giving birth, and he and Scorpius had been on their own for four years. Their time together was a time filled with arguments and resentment. As much as Astoria had wanted to be a mother, she wanted to be a twenty-something party girl even more. One drunken night with Draco Malfoy after three dates had landed her with a baby and a husband she wasn't sure she wanted. He hadn't thought that Scorpius could remember his mother, and maybe he didn't really. But now he was asking for one.

Little Scorpius entered the kitchen, lazily rubbing sleep from his gray eyes.

"Morning, buddy," Draco greeted him with a wide smile. The little boy, who looked so much like him, was his whole world. It killed Draco that he would have to break the news to his son that Santa could not bring him a new mother.

"Hi, Daddy. Hungry," Scorpius said, climbing onto his chair. Draco set a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk in front of him, and watched as he dove in. A thin stream of milk dribbled down the small boy's chin and he wiped it away with a contented sigh. "Daddy, do you think Santa got my letter yet?" he asked, worried that he had missed an important deadline.

Draco nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, I'm sure he did," he assured his son. "You know Santa has magic just like you and me. I'm sure he's going to work his hardest to bring you what you asked for, but don't be too upset if he can't. Okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," he replied, spooning the last bit of oatmeal into his mouth.

Draco wiped away the remnants of breakfast from Scorpius's face and helped him down from his chair. "What do you say to going into Diagon Alley today?" he asked as he led the little boy upstairs to ready him for the day. Scorpius's gray eyes widened with excitement. When they reached the top of the stairs, he took off for his room to get dressed. "Matching socks this time. And make sure you put your shirt on right side out and the tag in the back," he instructed as he entered his own room.

Minutes later, after much struggling with his shirt, Scorpius appeared at his father's door. "I can't get them to button," he said, holding out his pants to Draco for help. Draco chuckled and gave him a hand, then declared that the Malfoy men were ready for a day out.

Diagon Alley was nearly deserted at the early hour, which was fine by Draco. Scorpius had recently developed a habit of wandering away if he wasn't holding his father's hand, and the lack of a crowd would make him easier to spot.

"Bookshop!" Scorpius cried. "Come on, Dad!" He tugged as hard as he could on Draco's hand until the older man started walking in the direction of the store. Once inside, Scorpius dropped his father's hand and took off running through the aisles of books. Draco did his best to keep up with the spirited four year-old, but found that he lost him after Scorpius took a left around an aisle.

"Scor," he called out, trying not to disturb the other patrons. He continued walking and calling out for his son until he reached the children's section. But Scorpius wasn't there. "Scorpius," he yelled out, doubling back to make his way through the rows of books He turned down the Magical History aisle and found his son sitting there with a small raven haired boy who looked to be his age.

"Hi Daddy," the small blonde greeted him, looking up at him with an adoring smile. It was the smile he used when he knew he would be in trouble and wanted to get out of it.

"Hi, who's your friend?" Draco asked, waiting for his heart beat to slow from its erratic pace.

Scorpius glanced at the boy, his small brow furrowed. "I don't know," he answered. He cocked his head to the side and asked him, "Who are you?"

The little boy smiled. "James," he replied.

"Who are you here with?" he asked, bending down to the boys' level.

"My auntie," he told him. His green eyes scanned the aisle but seemed to widen in fear when he couldn't see the one person for whom he was looking. "I don't know where she went."

Draco smiled kindly at the lost little boy. He stood up and held out a hand to the him. "Why don't we go look for her?" he offered.

Green eyes widened even further as he stared at this stranger's outstretched hand. "But Mummy said never to go anywhere with people I don't know."

"Well, I'm Scorpius's dad, and you know him," the adult reasoned. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you, James."

James stood and took his hand. Draco waited until Scorpius took his other hand before they set off. The trio wandered through aisles and around tables of books until James let go of Draco's hand.

"I see her," James exclaimed. "Wanna race?"

Before Draco could protest, Scorpius let go and took off with the excited boy. By the time he caught up to the two children he was furious. And the person he saw talking to his son did nothing to quell that anger.

"Hi Malfoy, missing something?" 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the interest in the story so far! I don't generally post on the weekends, but football games make me kinda nervous so I need something to keep me busy. This seemed less fattening than trying to eat my weight in chocolate.

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Chapter 2  
"Granger?" he asked uncertainly. Hermione Granger nodded and tightened her grip on James's hand. "Or is it Weasley now?"

She tucked a curl behind her ear. "It's Granger. Ron and I are engaged, have been for about five years. And there's no end in sight," she explained. Her cheeks heated up and she let forth a girlish giggle. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this. Is his mother around?"

"Nope, no mother to speak of," he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Hermione leaned in close and whispered soft enough for only Draco to hear, "You know that whole stork bringing the baby thing is a myth, right?"

Draco laughed heartily. "Yes, Granger, I do know that," he replied. "His mother died four years ago."

Hermione looked stricken. She opened her mouth to apologize profusely, but closed it when James tugged on her hand.

"Aunt Mione, I want ice cream now," he declared, glancing up at her with round, pleading green eyes. "You said if I came to the bookshop I could have an ice cream. And I came to the bookshop, so now I want ice cream. Unless you wanna take me back to Uncle George's store. He always lets me get the really big cone."

Draco groaned knowing Scorpius was about to make the same request now that the idea was in his head. "Yes, we can go," Draco said before the little boy could even ask. Scorpius jumped up and down and hugged Draco's legs. "Mind if we tag along, Granger?"

Hermione sighed. "Fine, but stop calling me Granger," she replied with a smile. They filed out of the bookstore and made their way to the ice cream parlor. The boys took a seat and waited impatiently for Draco to set two small cups of chocolate ripple ice cream in front of them.

"Careful with that, Scor," he said, taking a seat next to him. "So, what's new in your life, Gra-Hermione?"

She stuck her spoon back in her cup and rested her chin on her hand. "Nothing much. I was working for the Ministry but left a few years ago, trying to get Ron to set a date, and raising my daughter." She said the last part so low, Draco wasn't sure he heard her correctly. So he asked to repeat herself. "She's three, four at the end of December. Her name is Rose, and she's absolutely amazing."

"And she's Ron's?" he asked, sticking a spoon into his son's ice cream. Hermione nodded.

"Could we maybe not talk about this in front of them?" she asked quietly.

Draco leaned back in his chair and nodded. He took another taste of Scorpius's ice cream and the little boy pulled the cup away protectively.

"Mine, Daddy," he stated adamantly. "Get your own."

Hermione covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "I don't much like chocolate, just wanted a little taste of yours," he said, trying to sneak another bite.

Her brown eyes sparkled when Draco focused on the witch in front of him. "Well, that explains it," she said sagely.

"Explains what?" Scorpius asked at the same time as Draco.

"Why I never respected your opinions," she replied. "You don't like chocolate, therefore all of your opinions are invalid."

Draco shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's the biggest load of rubbish I've ever heard," he muttered as Hermione laughed at him again. "I see nothing wrong with preferring vanilla over chocolate."

"Well, imagine that, a supremacist who likes vanilla," she quipped, but knew she should not have said it.

He glared at her and grabbed one of her napkins to clean off Scorpius's face, wiping up the trail of chocolate that made its way down the little boy's chin. "We should get going, buddy," he said when the ice cream was gone. "It was nice running into you, Hermione. We'll have to do this again sometime. Maybe we can set up a play date with the kids or something."

She looked taken aback by his pleasant words. Never in a million years would she have expected to chat with Draco Malfoy over dessert. "Oh, yeah, maybe," she stuttered. "See you around."

As the Malfoys walked away, Scorpius looked up at his father. "I like her, Daddy," he stated. "She's pretty and she made you smile. I think she would make a good mummy."

"Well she is a mum, so I'm sure she's good at it," Draco replied, hoping to put an end to the conversation.

"But you don't like her?" Scorpius asked. Damn his astuteness!

Draco hemmed and hawed for a way to a explain his less than pleasant feelings for Hermione Granger to his child. "We kind of, sort of weren't friends when we younger," he decided.

Scorpius wrinkled his nose. "Because she was a girl?" he asked wisely. "Girls are icky. I don't like girls either."

Draco laughed. "You will someday," he predicted.

The little boy made a disgusted face. "I hope not," he replied

Back at the table, Hermione watched as Draco and Scorpius disappeared around a corner. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she berated herself. James looked up at her with an inquisitive eyebrow raised. "Let's get you home," she said in lieu of an explanation.

Quickly, she Apparated James and herself back to the very noisy, very crowded Burrow.

"Mummy!" Rose cried happily as she launched herself at Hermione's legs.

"Hi, sweet pea," she greeted her daughter, picking her up so she could move further into the house.

"Oh hey," Ron greeted her as he exited the kitchen. "Mum, Mione and James are back," he informed Molly Weasley before kissing Hermione on the cheek. "The two of you have fun?"

Hermione nodded, biting her bottom lip. She wasn't sure how Ron would react to finding out she had run into Draco Malfoy on their outing. As much as she wanted to tell him, she decided it was better for both of them that he didn't know.

James was seated on the couch between his parents, Harry and Ginny Potter. He was regaling them with stories of his new best friend, Scorpius. "And his daddy had a funny name too," he added, before turning perplexed eyes on Hermione. "What was his name again, Aunt Mione?"

"Yeah, Hermione, what was his name?" Harry inquired with an amused smile.

The brunette sighed, glaring daggers at her best friend. "Draco...Malfoy," she mumbled. Slowly she turned her head to gauge Ron's reaction. It was exactly as she expected - glowing red ears, the same coloring creeping up from his neck and into his cheeks. Turning back to Harry and Ginny, she received a very different reaction. Harry still looked amused and Ginny seemed incredulous.

"Shouldn't the two of you be more upset that your son spent the afternoon with a Death Eater?" Ron insisted.

Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation. "Oh for heaven's sake, Ron, he isn't a Death Eater," she said emphatically. "The war ended over a decade ago. Let it go."

"Oh, like you have?" Ron argued, the shade of red on his cheeks beginning to deepen.

She refused to have this argument in front of her fiance's family. Taking steps towards the fireplace, Hermione reached for a handful of floo powder and called Rose to her. She threw the powder in, calling out for their house. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Hermione arrived at Draco's front door with Rose nervously at her side.

"Mummy, do I have to play with him?" she asked. "Daddy says his daddy is a bad man."

Hermione sighed and raised her fist to knock on the door. "Daddy's wrong, honey," she replied as the door opened. "Hey Draco."

The blonde smiled kindly at his guests. "Come on in. It's cold out," he said, ushering the pair inside. He helped Hermione off with her coat before turning to the small redhead. "And you must be Rose. It's nice to meet you."

Rose stared up at him with large brown eyes. Warily, she nodded her head before averting her gaze back to her mother. Draco cleared his throat, noticing how uncomfortable the little girl was. "Well, if you want, I can show you Scorpius's room. He just got a brand new train set and it has a whistle and everything, if you'd like to see it." Rose shrugged, stepping closer to her mother. Hermione took her hand and gave Draco a nod to proceed. "Hey Scor, look who I brought."

The little blonde boy looked up from his train and his eyes lit up. "Hi, Miss Mione," he greeted them, waving enthusiastically at the older witch. "Where's James?"

"Miss Mione brought her daughter, Rose, over to play with you," Draco explained, watching amusedly as Rose clung tighter and tighter to Hermione's leg. "I'm sure we could arrange to have James play with you soon though, buddy."

"Wanna play trains?" he asked tentatively as Hermione peeled Rose away from her leg.

Hermione gave her a gentle push towards the toys. "Okay," Rose muttered.

Draco smiled and turned to Hermione. "Help me with lunch?" he asked. Hermione nodded and glanced back at her daughter once more before following him downstairs. He moved easily around the kitchen, grabbing bread and peanut butter and utensils before setting them up in a neat row on the counter top. "Ya know, Scor's new thing is peanut butter. Peanut butter on everything. He asked if he could try it on meatloaf last night."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Oh, that's awful," she replied, grabbing two slices of bread. "How'd it go?" she asked with a laugh.

"Would it surprise you if I said not well?" Draco answered, spreading the thick, peanut-y topping across a slice of white bread.

The witch snorted. "Not in the least," she replied. She set to work on Rose's lunch, spreading a thin coating strawberry jam on the bread. They worked silently until lunch was ready and Draco called the kids down to the kitchen. Scorpius and Rose ran into the kitchen, Rose just a step ahead of him.

"Ha, I win," she declared, gloating as the little boy took his seat.

Draco narrowed his eyes on the children. "Scorpius, you know better than to run in the house," he chided, setting a sandwich down in front of him.

Rose snickered. "My daddy let's me run in the house," she taunted before catching the glare her mother shot her way. "When Mummy isn't home," she added under her breath.

"Eat your lunch, Rose," Hermione commanded. "When we get home we'll have a nice little chat with Daddy about what you're allowed to do in the house."

"Yes, Mum," the little girl grumbled, biting into her lunch. The quartet ate silently. Hermione and Draco watched as the two children hurriedly ate before asking to resume playing. Draco gave a small nod to excuse them.

"They seem to be getting on really well," he marvelled.

Hermione began to clear the table once she was finished. "Yes, it is a bit odd that our offspring would be friends," she agreed.

"I'm glad they're getting along. There aren't many kids in this neighborhood around his age," Draco replied as they finished cleaning up. They adjourned to the living room with tea to talk until Rose drowsily walked down the stairs hours later and sat by Hermione's side.

"I should get her home," Hermione decided, pulling Rose onto her lap. "It's almost bedtime."

"Scor fell asleep, Mr. Draco," Rose told him, yawning loudly as she rested her head against her mother's chest.

Draco rose from the couch and grabbed a pot of floo powder, holding it out for Hermione. She, too, stood up, cradling Rose closely as she took a handful and stepped into the hearth. "Thanks for coming over," he said. "We'll have to do this again soon. Would you like that, Rose?" The little girl nodded sleepily.

"See you soon, Draco," Hermione murmured before tossing down the powder. When they stepped out in their living room, Ron was waiting.

"Where've you been?" he asked, staring straight at her.

Hermione sighed. "Let me put her down before we start this," she replied, walking up the stairs to Rose's bedroom. She closed the door and cast a silencing spell to ensure that if an argument started it wouldn't disturb the sleeping child. Ron was waiting at the bottom of the steps for her.

"So, where were you and Rose all day?" he asked again. With a sigh, Hermione took a seat on the sofa and told him about their day with the Malfoys. When she was finished, she looked up. Ron's face had turned frighteningly red as his anger increased. "Didn't I say I didn't want my child around him? He's a Death Eater. His kid is probably a Death Eater. That is not the guy I want around my daughter."

"She's my daughter too," Hermione responded, jumping up from the couch. "If I didn't think Draco was safe, I wouldn't have allowed her to play with his son."

"And you think you're always right about everything? About everyone?" he demanded, his voice raising as the color in his cheeks heightened. "You're not. And you of all people should know that Malfoy's as bad as they come."

Shaking her head, Hermione stepped around him, intent on going upstairs. "I of all people," she muttered, toying with the engagement ring he had given her five years earlier when she told him she was pregnant. A part of her always believed he never wanted to marry her, but his mother had forced him to do it.

"Walk away now and this is over, Hermione," Ron threatened. "Because, honestly, I'm getting a little tired of my opinion never mattering. And I'm really tired of this idea you seem to have that Rose is solely your daughter."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and scowled angrily at the redhead. "Then try being around a little more," she stated, making her way upstairs. She reached the master bedroom, the room she and Ron had shared since moving in. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and stared at her engagement ring before slipping it off. Tears prickled behind her eyes, and Hermione impatiently blinked them away. She knew what she had to do.

Rain began to fall heavily, beating against the windows as Draco tucked Scorpius into his bed.

"I told Rosie what I asked Santa for for Christmas," the little boy said, clutching a plush, green dragon to his chest. "She said she already has one and she would share with me."

Draco's eyes widened in shock. "Want to tell me what you asked for?" he asked, though he already knew.

Scorpius shook his head, smiling deviously. "I told you, Daddy, Santa will take care of it."

Draco kissed his son goodnight and went down to the living room. With a flick of his wand, the fire in the hearth livened up. He picked up the Daily Prophet, glad to have a quiet night with his newspaper.

Until he heard the urgent knock at the front door.

Groaning, he put aside the paper and answered it to find a very rain-soaked Hermione Granger on his front porch.

"I think Ron and I broke up," she said as tears clouded her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Anyone else tired of snow? When it gets me a day off of work, it's my best friend. When I slip on ice walking to work, I want to kick a meteorologist. It's almost summer right?

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Chapter 4  
Draco quickly ushered the dripping wet woman into the warmth of the living room. When she was seated, he wrapped a thick blanket around her shoulders and left to make her a cup of tea. She was crying softly when he returned minutes later.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, broaching the subject slowly.

Hermione shook her head despondently, but told him about their argument anyway. "I didn't know where else to go," she said quietly when she was finished. She set the mug down on the coffee table and pushed the blanket off of her shoulders before standing up. "I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm not sure what I was thinking."

Draco stood up, following Hermione as she went to the front door. He placed his hand on the door, pushing it shut just as she tried to pull it open. "You thought you'd go someplace where no one was going to hassle you or berate you for leaving."

Hermione laughed mirthlessly, well aware of the irony in his statement. "Merlin knows Mrs. Weasley will be banging down the door once she hears," she murmured, turning to lean her back against the door. Her eyes fell to the floor, studying Draco's sock-clad feet. "He was never going to marry me, I always knew that. We probably would have broken up years ago if I hadn't had Rose."

Sure that she wouldn't try to leave again, Draco looped an arm around her shoulders and led her back to the living room. Her clothes were still wet and he could feel her shivering from the cold. "You can stay here as long as you need to," he told her, casting a kind smile in her direction. "There's a guest room at the top of the stairs on the right. Scorpius's room is right across from it, so silencing charms might be best. He tends to be a very, ridiculously early riser."

Hermione laughed and yawned simultaneously. "Clothes," she said suddenly. Draco looked at her curiously. "I, uh, didn't think to bring clothes with me."

Furrowing his brow, Draco merely said, "Oh." He led her up the stairs, directing her to the guest room before going to his own. He returned with a large shirt and a pair of running shorts. "This is all I have that might fit you," he said apologetically, holding out the garments for her to take.

"Thank you, Draco," she replied, truly grateful for his hospitality. "I mean, for everything, not just the clothes."

"Sleep well," he said, giving her upper arm a gentle squeeze. She watched him retreat towards his room and shut the door. She wandered into the room and with a deep sigh, sunk down onto the bed. Suddenly, a surge of adrenaline rushed through her and there was no way she could fall asleep now. Tiptoeing out of the guest room, she made her way down the hall to the door she watched Draco disappear behind just moments earlier. Tentatively, she knocked on the door.

"Hey," Draco greeted her when he opened the door. Hermione's eyes trailed down his bare chest to the flannel pajama bottoms he wore, then back up to meet his eyes. "Everything okay?" he inquired with a smirk as her cheeks turned pink.

"My mind is sort of going a million miles a minute right now. Can't sleep," she explained, a sheepish tone in her voice.

Draco snorted, but opened the door wider to permit her entrance. "When is it not?" he muttered as she walked past him. He stood by the door as she surveyed the room.

"No green," she commented, taking in the varying hues of blue and gray that made up the interior design of Draco's bedroom.

The blonde shrugged. "Got tired of it, I guess," he replied, taking a seat on his bed. "Do you want to talk about whatever it is that's keeping you up?"

"I just, I don't know what we're going to do about Rose," she stated. "Plus, I have to find a place to live. And I have no idea how I'm going to face the Weasleys or Harry now. Merlin knows they'll take Ron's side. Although, Harry and Ginny didn't seem as bothered by you as Ron does. Tomorrow I'll start looking for a flat. I have no idea how I'm going to afford one though. I'll have to get a job again, which means hiring a nanny for Rose. And then I'll need to work out some kind of custody agreement with Ron."

Draco laughed. "It's no wonder you can't sleep," he replied, chuckling again. Hermione saw no humor in the situation, however. Clearing his throat, he erased the mirthful look from his face. "If there's anything I can do..."

Hermione cut him off with a shake of her head. "You're already doing enough by giving me a place to stay for the night. Have I said thank you for that?"

"Yes, you have," he replied with a smile. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and took a seat on the corner of his bed. "So, um, there's something you should know. It's about our kids."

"What did they break?" Hermione asked, wondering how much money she would have to shell out to replace whatever her daughter had helped to destroy.

"No, nothing like that," Draco replied before telling her about Scorpius's letter to Santa and Rose's decision to share her mother with him.

Hermione laughed quietly before another thought took center stage in her mind. "Maybe I shouldn't be here," she told him, getting to her feet. "I don't want to get his hopes up."

"I'm not supposed to know," he admitted. "Santa is taking care of it. So, stay. Pretend you don't know."

"What are you going to do in three weeks when there's no new mummy under the tree for him?" she wondered, frowning at the thought of a heartbroken little boy on Christmas morning.

Draco shrugged defeatedly. "I don't know," he replied. "Wanna marry me and adopt my son? It'll make this all a hell of a lot easier."

Hermione laughed, taking his suggestion as nothing more than a joke. When Draco started to yawn and his eyes grew heavy with exhaustion, she excused herself and went back to the guest room. Sitting down on the guest bed, Hermione began to wonder how Rose would react in the morning when she discovered her mother wasn't home. It was to that thought that Hermione fell into a fitful sleep that night.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
Ron awoke the next morning, startled to find Rose sitting on his chest. "What are you doing?" he mumbled, moving her to his side so he could breathe.

"Where's Mummy?" she asked.

Ron threw the covers off of himself and got out of bed. "How should I know?" he muttered. When he finished dressing, he turned back to her. Rose's bottom lip was set in a pout as she stared at her father. "Did you eat breakfast yet?"

Rose shook her head. "I can't reach anything, Daddy," she replied in a manner that implied it wasn't the smartest question to ask.

He left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen. Quickly, he looked through each of the cabinets for something easy to feed her, but found nothing that would not require cooking. "I'll take you to Grandmum's house," he decided. "She'll feed you breakfast. I have to get to work anyhow."

Though her stomach rumbled with hunger, Rose muttered a quick "fine" and pulled her shoes on. Together, they stepped into the floo and Ron called out for The Burrow. They were greeted by Mrs. Weasley and Ginny.

"You look hungry, darling," Mrs. Weasley assessed, directing Rose to a chair before putting a plate of food in front of her. Ron took a seat across from her, waiting for his mother to serve him as well. "Where's Hermione?" she asked instead.

Ron shrugged and stood to load a plate with eggs, sausage, pancakes, and bacon. When he sat down again, he noticed the way his mother glared at him with her patented hand on the hip that demanded answers. "She left last night," he muttered, shoveling a mouthful of eggs into his mouth. "Probably with Malfoy."

Molly rounded the table and grabbed Ron by the ear. He howled in pain as she dragged him to the living room, out of ear shot of Rose and Ginny. "What do you mean she left?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

Ron jerked his head away from her grasp and shrugged. "We fought. She left," he replied, rubbing the side of his head. "What else do you want me to say? Can't I just eat before I'm really late for work?"

"No, you cannot," Molly shouted. "I have stood by long enough, biting my tongue, regarding your relationship with Hermione. When she found out she was pregnant, the two of you should have been married. That little girl needs two full-time parents, two full-time married parents. It's bad enough that you work as much as you do, leaving Hermione on her own so much of the time."

"Hermione has no interest in marrying me now that she has Malfoy," he spat.

Ginny entered the living room, clearing her throat to garner their attention. "I'm taking the kids out for a bit," she told them. "Rose has been asking for Hermione. Any idea where she might be, Ron?"

His only response was a derisive snort before he went back to the kitchen. Molly heard the distinctive sound of the floo and shook her head.

"I think I'll try Malfoy's house," Ginny decided. "James has been talking about Scorpius nonstop and Al might get along with him as well."

"And you think Hermione will be there?" Molly asked uncertainly.

"Where else would she go?" Ginny replied. When Rose was finished with her breakfast, Ginny crammed her, her two sons, and herself into the floo. When they stepped out into Draco's living room to the sight of two stunned adults, Ginny smiled and quipped, "You should really work on your wards, Malfoy. Anyone can get in here."

Hermione rose from the couch and scooped up Rose, holding her close to her chest. "Daddy's really mad, Mummy," the little girl whispered.

"Yeah, I know," Hermione replied, setting Rose back down on her feet. "Scorpius is upstairs if you guys want to go play," she suggested, feeling Ginny's blue eyes blaze through her.

When the kids were out of sight, Ginny started in on her friend. "I want to know what's going on," she demanded. "Did you and Ron really break up? Is the engagement off? What are you going to do about Rosie? How are you going to explain this to my mother?"

Hermione could do nothing but laugh at the spitfire questions. When she convinced Ginny to simmer down and let her explain, she told her what had happened. "And I have no idea how to handle your mother," she concluded.

"So, are the two of you together now or something?" Ginny asked, noticing how closely Draco and Hermione sat on the small loveseat.

"Oh, god, no," Hermione scoffed. "Draco's just giving me a place to stay while I find something more permanent."

Ginny produced a skeptical look, but let the subject drop. The three adults sat in an uncomfortable silence before Draco excused himself under the pretense of checking on the children. Hermione, knowing what would soon be coming if left alone with Ginny, tried to hold onto Draco's arm to keep him in place, but he merely shook her off and left.

"You like him," Ginny said, although Hermione heard it as more of an accusation than a shocked observation. She tried to deny it, but the redhead was not having it. "You don't have to lie, Mione. It's written all over your face, and his for that matter. When did this start? Is it really over with you and Ron? Merlin, you sure do know how to trade up. I'll give you that."

A stunned expression covered Hermione's face as she tried to process all that her friend had said. While it seemed quite clear to all that Ron's and her relationship was over, there was still a small part of Hermione that hoped she and the father of her child would reconcile. Molly Weasley had stressed the importance of a two parent household from the day she was informed of the pregnancy. "He's just a friend," Hermione insisted.

But the conversation did not end there, as Ginny scoffed. "Harry and I are your friends. George and Angelina are your friends. Neville and Hannah Longbottom are your friends. And yet, when you leave your fiance in the middle of the night after yet another row, you seek comfort in Malfoy. Malfoy, who for so long was the enemy. I just...I don't think I get it if this isn't a relationship."

Hermione rose from her seat on the couch and made her way to the kitchen. Much to her chagrin, Ginny was on her heels the whole time. The younger witch waited patiently while Hermione cleaned the breakfast dishes that were soaking in the sink and made tea. Finally, with nothing else to do to delay the restart of their discussion, Hermione sat across from her. "Ron is your brother, George's brother, and one of Neville's closest friends. I didn't think...I didn't want to put any of you in the awkward position of being in the middle of, as you put it, yet another row between Ron and me. I spent the day with Draco yesterday, and this was the first place I could think of. I drove around for hours trying to figure out where to go. I couldn't go to the Burrow, my parents are dead and their house sold, I didn't want any of our friends to know what had happened, so I came back here. It just seemed prudent."

Ginny nodded, her eyebrows raised sardonically. She stirred her tea slowly, smiling at the older witch. "So, was it good?"

Hermione dropped her spoon, startled. "Was what good?" she inquired, losing her patience with Ginny.

"The shag," Ginny replied, her smile growing as Hermione's face flushed. Before Hermione could sputter a reply, the kitchen door opened.

Scorpius ran up to Hermione, a frown on his face. "Miss Mione, Daddy said I can't give Rosie my old train set," he whined. "I don't want it anymore because I have a new one, and I told Rosie she could have the old one, but Daddy said no, and I need you to tell him yes." When he was finished, he let out a deep breath.

Hermione laughed kindly. "Sweetie, if your dad says no, I don't think there's anything I can do," she told him.

"Fine," he grumbled, stomping out of the kitchen.

Both women watched the little boy leave. Ginny turned to Hermione. "He is not Draco's kid," she decided. "He wants to share. He can't be Draco's."

"He's sweet," Hermione replied absentmindedly.

"As is his father?" Ginny pushed.

Hermione shook her head dismissively and stood up to leave the kitchen. She had just pushed the door open when she turned back to her friend. "Ron and I haven't even been broken up for a day yet. I'm not looking for anything from Draco but a little friendship."

Not letting the subject go, Ginny followed her to the living room. "What about your daughter?" she inquired.

Hermione stopped neared the bottom of the stairs and turned to the nosy redhead. "She'll stay here with me until I find a place," she answered straightforwardly. "Ron's never home anyhow."

"Shouldn't you keep the house and make Ron move out? After all, it's Rose's home too," Ginny argued.

Hermione shook her head, tucking loose brown curls behind her ear. Footsteps above grew louder as they approached the staircase, and soon the four children and Draco appeared. Catching the scowl she wore, Draco silently asked if she was alright. "I'm fine," she assured him when he reached the bottom step. "Could you watch Rose? I want to go back to the house and pack up a few things."

Draco nodded in agreement. "Do you need help? I'm sure Ginny could watch the kids," he offered.

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, I'll be fine. Ron's most likely at work anyhow, so no chances of running into him." She turned on her heel and walked towards the front door. It suddenly occurred to her that perhaps, while Draco had no problem with her staying in his house, he may have an issue with a second child there. "About Rose-"

"Rose is more than welcome here," he told her, smiling. "We'll set her up in Scor's room, or we can put an extra bed in the guest room."

"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck in a very quick hug. "I'll be back soon."

Draco watched her go as a crazy thought popped into his head - he wanted to keep her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
The house was dark, save for the thin streams of sunlight that peaked through the curtained windows. Hermione raced up the stairs to pack her things as quickly as she could before moving to Rose's room. She packed a week's worth of clothing and grabbed her teddy bear and blanket. With one last glance around the room, wondering if she would ever see it again, Hermione closed the door. Slowly, she descended the stairs, ready to take her leave.

"Hi."

Her head jerked to the right, and she could make out Ron's form in the living room. A single lamp was turned on, casting a soft glow around the room. "Oh, hi," she replied, continuing down the stairs until she stood three feet away from him.

"Leaving again?" he asked, shoving his hands deeply into his pockets. Hermione nodded guiltily, hoisting her duffle bag further up onto her shoulder. "Is Rose with you right now?" She shook her head. She noticed that there was no anger in his voice. His words were soft spoken and carefully chosen, as if he was hoping not to fight again. "Are you not speaking to me?" he wondered after a few moments of silence passed between them.

Hermione looked up, catching his eye. Her face was a blank slate, devoid of emotion. "We're staying with Draco," she told him, hoping it wouldn't be the spark that caused a problem. He merely nodded to let her know he heard her. "I know you don't like him. I understand that, but he's been a good friend to me the last couple of days."

Ron sunk down onto the couch and sighed as his hands ran through his shaggy red hair. "You're right about that; I never will like the git," he replied. "Can't we just put this fight behind us? We've always been able to do that."

Sadly, Hermione shook her head. "All we do is fight," she said, taking a seat next to him. "I'm really tired of fighting."

"Me too," he agreed. They sat side by side quietly, neither wanting to look at the other. "So, how do we stop this? How do we make things right between us?"

Hermione shook her head resignedly. "Maybe all we need is a little time apart," she replied, though she did not fully believe it herself.

"And when do I get to see Rose?" he asked tersely. He fought to keep his rising anger in check, knowing Hermione's calm demeanor would deteriorate the moment his temper flared.

"I can bring her over on Saturday if you're not working," she offered, twisting her hands about in her lap. Ron stiffly nodded, and Hermione took it as her cue to leave. His eyes remained trained on her as she stood and walked to the door. Her hand reached for the knob, twisting it open. But then she stopped and looked back at him, a sad smile on her lips.

"We were never going to get married, were we?" she asked, leaning against the slide of the door. Ron started to shrug his shoulders, but it quickly turned into a sorrowful shake of his head. "Yeah, that's what I thought," she added quietly before leaving.

An hour later, she was back at Draco's house. She had walked in, moved quickly past the kids gathered in the living room, and gone upstairs to the guest room. She dropped the duffel bag on the floor near the foot of the bed and sat down. Her head was cradled in her hands, and for the first time, she realized she was crying.

The door opened without her realizing it. A small body climbed up beside her, wrapping small arms around her own. "Mama?" Rose asked worriedly.

Sniffling, she smiled at her daughter. "I'm fine," Hermione assured her, using her free hand to wipe her face. "Have you had lunch yet? I can make you something." She pulled away from Rose and stood up to make her way downstairs.

"Aunt Ginny already did that before she left," Rose replied, frowning at her mother who was clearly not telling her something. "Mummy, why do you have my bear and binky?"

Hermione leaned against the door and stared down at their belongings. "I thought maybe you and Scor might like to have a sleepover tonight," she told her. Rose shot her mother a dubious look, but agreed anyhow. She hopped off the bed and exited the room, followed by Hermione.

"You look awful," Draco observed when they met outside her bedroom door.

"Why thank you, Draco," Hermione replied sardonically, though a smile touched her lips. His cheeks colored as he murmured an apology to her. Rose looked at the adults questioningly before going into Scorpius's room. "Ron and I talked."

He nodded knowingly, realizing it had to be the reason for the tear tracks on her face. "So it's over?"

She nodded her head as a frown formed on her lips. "He didn't even ask where his daughter would be living," she replied. "I had to tell him. It was like he wasn't even concerned about where she would be."

Sensing her rising anger, Draco looped an arm around her shoulder and guided her downstairs to the living room. When he had her seated, she started up again. "I mean is it so much to ask a father to show a little concern for his daughter? He gives me this whole lecture about her being his child too, and then he doesn't bother to ask where she'll be staying. God, who does that?"

"I'm sure he cares about her," he said. "And about you too."

Hermione snorted irreverently. "He may care about Rose, but I'm positive he stopped loving me a long time ago," she murmured. "He admitted it, you know."

Draco sat down beside her, his brow furrowed. "Admitted what?" he asked quietly. Her eyes watered again as she rehashed her conversation from an hour earlier. "Hermione, you are the mother of his child. He'll always love you."

In a flash, Hermione was on her feet, angrily towering over Draco's seated form. "You're taking his side?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm not taking sides!" he replied, defensively holding his hands up in the air. "Now, please sit back down. You're starting to scare me a little."

That finally got her to crack a smile. With a sigh, she took a seat beside him once more. She murmured an apology and frowned. "I'm being awful, aren't I," she said. "You and I have been friends, for what, a week? And you've been so nice to me, and I'm being awful, yelling at you for something you didn't even do."

He wound an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "You're not awful, and there's no reason to apologize," he assured her. Hermione tilted her head up to meet his eyes; gray pools full of support and something else she couldn't quite place her finger on. "I've been thinking about your situation."

"What about it?" she asked warily, pulling away from his side.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath as he composed his words. "It's just that, I know we were never the greatest of friends, but I want to help. You're not working, so money would be really tight if you were able to find a decent flat. Besides, I like having someone here to talk to who doesn't have a 7:30 bedtime."

"Where are you going with this?" Hermione inquired.

"I think you should live here," he told her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
"Like, permanently?" Hermione asked, not quite believing what she had heard.

"Why not?" he replied. "You and Rose are already staying here. It's a free place to live-"

"I'm not looking for a hand out, Draco," she argued, getting to her feet.

He watched as she started to pace in front of him. Though his approach hadn't been what he hoped it would be, the sentiment was still the same. He wanted her there, wanted her to stay. But she was a proud woman, one who would not be willing to accept his offer so easily. Draco got to his feet and caught her by the arms, halting her pacing effectively.

"I'm not looking to give you a hand out," he pointed out. "I'm just trying to help a friend. You don't have to give me an answer right now. Make a pro/con list if it'll help. I just want you to know that the offer is on the table until you say to take it off."

Hermione sighed. "But what if you decide you no longer want us here?" she wondered, her brow furrowing deeper with each word she spoke. "What if you meet someone and we don't fit here anymore? I won't keep uprooting Rose like this."

"You don't have to worry about any of that," he assured her.

"I still feel like I should do something, give you money or something," she insisted. "I can cook or watch Scor when you have to work or need a break." With a smile, Draco agreed to her terms. "So, should we tell the kids?"

Draco nodded, leading her to the stairs. "How do you think Rose will take this?" he asked when they reached the top.

Hermione knocked on Scorpius's bedroom door. "We're about to find out," she whispered when the door opened. Scorpius looked up at the adults expectantly. Behind him, Rose lay stomach down on his bed, feet crossed in the air behind her with a dubious expression on her small face. Hermione turned to Draco. "Maybe I should talk to her separately," she decided.

Rose moved off the bed and joined Scorpius at the door. "Talk to me about what?" she asked, striking a pose that was eerily reminscent of her mother. Hermione held out her hand to the little girl, and Rose accepted it. She allowed her mother to lead her across the hall to the guest room. After closing the door and placing a silencing charm so the boys wouldn't hear, Hermione took a seat on the edge of the bed. Rose stood defiantly before her. "Talk to me about what?" she asked again.

With a deep breath, Hermione explained Draco's offer. She was careful to avoid any talk of Ron until Rose brought him up. "Sweetie, Mummy and Daddy aren't going to live together anymore. We still love you, and you are the most important thing in our lives."

"But I want to live in our house," Rose replied. Her soft brown eyes began to glisten as her lower lip jutted outwards. "I want to stay with you and Daddy. Don't you love him, Mummy?"

Hermione pulled Rose in closer, holding her small hands. "I will always love your daddy because he gave me you," she said. "It's just different now."

"Do you love Mr. Draco?" Rose asked. Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Oh. Good."

Hermione pulled Rose onto her lap and gave her a stern look. "No one is replacing your dad," she told her. "Mr. Draco is just a really good friend who's doing a really nice thing for us."

"Can I still see Daddy?" the little girl asked.

Hermione brushed red curls away from her daughter's face. "All the time," she promised.

Rose nodded and rested her head against her mother's shoulder. "Do you think Scor will be happy?" she wondered just as they heard the boy's excited outburst. The door to the guest room was thrown open and a very happy Scorpius ran towards Hermione and Rose.

"Daddy said we get to keep you," he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Hermione's legs. He looked up and noticed the solemn expression on his friend's face. "Aren't you excited, Rosie?"

Rose shrugged and shimmied her way off of Hermione's lap. "Sure," she replied, though her tone conveyed otherwise. She proceeded towards the door, calling to Scorpius over her shoulder to join her in his room. Scorpius shot Hermione a smile before following the unhappy redhead.

"So, your announcement went well," Hermione spoke up after several moments of silence passed between the two adults.

"Yours didn't, I'm guessing," Draco replied, leaning against the dresser.

"She'll come around," Hermione figured, rising from the bed. As she passed by him to leave, Draco reached out and took hold of her arm.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night," he murmured. Hermione stared at him with her mouth hanging open from the shock of his suggestion. "Ginny said she would take the kids since they were here today."

Finally coming to her senses, Hermione shut her mouth and extricated her arm from his grasp. "I can't date you, Draco," she replied. He opened his mouth to refute, but she cut him off. "I just ended a six year relationship with the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. I have a daughter who is struggling to understand everything that's happening to her right now. I can't date my roommate on top of it all."

He said nothing, did nothing, as she walked away. Since coming into his life again after over a decade, Hermione Granger had been a constant fixture in Draco's mind. The former bully thanked his lucky stars that she had found it in her heart to forgive him for the past indiscretions he had committed. And while he had thought that there was more between them now, it seemed that all they were was roommates. He wanted to give her the time and space she needed to sort out her feelings, but the selfish part of him wanted to wear her down until she agreed to date him. It had been a lonely four years since Astoria passed away, leaving him only with the company of Scorpius. The feelings for his former classmate had sprung up, seemingly from out of the blue. But it was a second chance to make things right with Hermione. It was a chance he needed to take to make that lonely void inside his chest close up and disappear forever.

He just needed to make Hermione see that now, too. 


	8. Chapter 8

So, is anyone else still as jazzed as I am that the Packers are the Super Bowl champs? I thought, in honor of the good mood that put me in, I'd give you all another chapter!

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Chapter 8  
Hermione woke early on Saturday morning, butterflies anxiously flapping in her stomach as sleep eluded her. She and Rose would be spending the day with Ron, and that thought drove her crazy. Perhaps it would be better to just drop off Rose and leave, promising to pick her up a few hours later.

Getting out of bed, she tiptoed across the hall to Scorpius's room. She eased the door open, careful not to wake the sleeping children. Rose slept peacefully with her feet in Scorpius's face, but he did nothing to move them as he slumbered. They had fallen asleep side by side, both heads resting on the same pillow. Somehow, at some time during the night, Rose had managed to move herself to the end the bed. Deciding to let them sleep a while longer, Hermione closed the door. As she turned around she felt herself walk straight into a cotton clad chest. Her cheeks colored as she glanced up to meet Draco's eyes.

"Come on, I'll put some coffee on," he told her quietly. His voice held little emotion, only the remnants of sleep. She followed two steps behind Draco as he walked to the kitchen. Hermione watched as he moved around, filling the coffee pot with water, changing the grounds, and preparing a fresh pot. He paid her no mind as he moved to the icebox and pulled out a carton of eggs. He cracked two over a frying pan and magicked them to cook. "Do you ever dream about it?" he finally asked, pouring her a cup of coffee before preparing his own.

"Dream about what?" she asked, accepting the mug. He said nothing as she poured a small amount of milk and stirred in two sugars.

"The war," he replied hoarsely. Subconsciously, he began to rub his left forearm. "I had a dream last night about that night, the one in the Room of Requirement back at school. Crabbe had just unleashed the Fiendfyre and we were all scrambling to get out of there. But then you screamed." He stopped speaking, clearing his throat as if he had been snapped out of a deep fog.

Hermione rested her hand over his hand, the same one that continued to stroke the area over the Dark Mark. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Draco swallowed, his brow furrowing with this action. "The fire, it enveloped you," he murmured. "Potter and Weasley, even me, we tried to look for you, but it was getting too hot in there. So we left. I swear I woke up and could feel the flames."

"It was just a dream," she murmured. "I'm still here. No fire, no screaming." She smiled reassuringly at him, hoping to dispel the mood that engulfed him. He stood up and grabbed the eggs, plating them for the two of them to share. The pair ate in silence until Scorpius and Rose joined them.

"Hey guys," Draco greeted them with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Rose climbed onto Hermione's lap, rubbing sleep from her eyes, while Scorpius took his seat. The look he shot his father seemed to demand breakfast. A bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk were set before him minutes later. Draco turned to Rose. "What can I get you?" he asked.

In response, Rose snuggled closer to her mother and said nothing. "She takes a little while to wake up most mornings," Hermione explained. "Oatmeal will be fine though."

With a nod of his head and a little wandless magic, another bowl of hot cereal appeared in front of the little girl. Hermione fed her small spoonfuls until Rose was awake enough to eat on her own.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Draco asked, sitting down with another cup of coffee.

"Going to see Daddy," came Rose's reply around a mouthful of oatmeal.

Draco glanced tentatively at Hermione, hoping to gauge her reaction. But her face was a blank canvas. There was no furrowed brow, no scornful frown. Her eyes remained calm, her lips set in a straight line, as she watched Scorpius eat. "You going too, Hermione?" he asked.

Hermione snapped out of her daze long enough to mutter, "I guess so." When Rose finished eating, Hermione pulled her back to her chest to cuddle the little girl as if she would never see her again. A sad frown settled on Hermione's lips then, and Draco had to look away.

"So, just us men today, then, Scor?" Draco declared, wiping his son's chin. Scorpius looked up at his father, then turned dejected eyes toward Rose, before looking back at Draco and shrugging. "Want to come to work with me today? It'll only be a couple of hours."

Scorpius looked back to Rose, then up at Hermione. She realized he was hoping she would take him with them. Sure, the little boy didn't know Ron, but anything would have been better than spending a day at his father's workplace.

And Hermione came to his rescue. "How about I take him with us?" she offered, catching Scorpius's smile. "I'm sure it'll be too distracting for you if he's there, and he'll be bored beyond belief sitting around your office. At least this way, Rose will have someone to play with."

Draco looked uneasy, but agreed to the plan. He dismissed the children from the table and turned to Hermione when they were gone. "Is Ron going to hate my kid as much as he hates me?" he asked, folding his arms on top of the table.

Hermione pulled her feet up onto her chair and rested her chin against her knees. "To be honest, I don't really know," she murmured. She suddenly regretted extending the invitation to Scorpius, and told Draco as much.

He rose from his chair and began clearing away the breakfast dishes. "I'll take him with me, tell him I changed my mind," Draco decided, scrubbing his coffee cup harder than was necessary. Arms stretched around him and took the cup from his hands, setting it aside. He shut off the water and turned around to face her. "I don't mind being the bad guy," he told her, though his eyes saddened at the thought of disappointing his only child.

Her arms encircled his neck. "You're not a bad guy," she murmured in his ear before pulling away. He watched her leave with a stunned smile on his face. He exited the kitchen to find the kids sitting on the bottom step, dressed for their day out. Hermione came down soon after and took Rose by the hand.

Scorpius remained seated, a pout forming on his lips as Draco crouched down in front of him. "I can't go?" he guessed.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Draco replied, placing his hand on Scorpius's shoulder. The little boy shrugged it away and stood up. Draco walked as his son stomped up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door shut. He turned around to face Hermione and Rose and smiled sadly at them. "You two should head out. The snow is really picking up outside."

"Draco," Hermione started, but he cut her off. "We'll be fine," he said before heading upstairs.

Hermione picked up Rose and stepped into the fireplace. Ron was waiting on the other side when they stepped into his living room. He took Rose from her arms, and kissed Hermione's cheek. "I missed you," he murmured, though Hermione was unsure to whom he was talking. He set Rose down on her feet, the whole while keeping his gaze on Hermione. "Do you think we can talk?"

Hermione nodded and sat down, waiting for him to say something. Ron stood with his back against the fireplace and ran a hand through his hair. "How long are we gonna do this, Hermione?" he wondered.

"What, sit and stare at each other?" she quipped. Ron glared in response and she sighed. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say that you'll come home," he replied forlornly. "I want you to tell me that we can be a family again."

"We're still a family," she agreed, "but I need some kind of commitment from you. I need you to be in this with me a hundred percent. I know your career is important to you, but Rose and I shouldn't rank second to it."

"So it's either marry you or nothing," he said, summing up her ultimatum. Hermione shrugged, watching his ire grow. "What do we do about Rose?"

"I'll keep her during the week while you're working, and you can have her on weekends," Hermione offered. "Unless that doesn't work for you."

Ron shook his head angrily. "No, that's just fine," he muttered.

Hermione rose from the couch and moved over to the fireplace. "Keep Rose for the night. She'll like that. I'll pick her up tomorrow," she said, grabbing a handful of floo powder. Ron watched as the green flames consumed her until she was out of sight.


	9. Chapter 9

Has anyone else seen StarKid's "A Very Potter Musical" or "A Very Potter Sequel"? I have. It's awesome. It's my recommendation for the day, after you read this chapter of course. I'm just gonna spend my day here at work with my gluten free pretzels and Darren Criss's magical (yes, pun intended) voice.

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Chapter 9  
Draco returned from work to a dark house. He carried a sleeping Scorpius upstairs and gently laid him down in his bed. When he returned downstairs, the fire blazed in the hearth, casting an eerie glow on the living room. Hermione was curled into the corner of the couch with a glass and a bottle of firewhiskey in hand. The bottle already appeared to be half drunk, and he guessed she had been there awhile.

"I'll replace the bottle tomorrow," she said quietly when she finally noticed his presence.

Draco sat down beside her and shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he replied. "What happened?"

Hermione snorted. "As it always is with Ron, nothing happened," she stated derisively. "We came to an agreement for custody and I left. And I realized something - I am never going to get married. It's just not in the stards...cars...cards for me. I'm bossy and annoying and...and unloveable."

The firelight hit her face, illuminating the tear marks that streaked down her pale, perfect skin. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol and her brown eyes were red and puffy. Draco wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him as she began to cry again.

"Let me tell you something, Hermione Granger," he said, trying to keep his voice calm and soft. "You are beautiful and smart and witty. This isn't you, sitting alone in the dark getting smashed on firewhiskey. First hand experience tells me that all guys are jerks, but you'll find the right one, the one who wants to spend the rest of his life proving to you that he isn't as much of a jerk as the rest of them. Weasley wasn't the right guy for you, but you still got Rose of the deal."

Hermione snorted. "Silver lining," she muttered, handing him the bottle. Draco took a pull and agreed. "And the worst part is, even though he always worked so much and missed so much, he was a really good father when he was around. When I found out that I was pregnant, I read every book I could find on how to raise children, but Ron just took to it all so naturally. I envied him for that for so long."

He pressed a kiss to her temple as he said, "You are an amazing mother, and it's not because you read all the books." He continued to hold her close as she cried. Her sobs began to subside, and Hermione looked up at him. She leaned in close until she could feel his breath on her lips.

"You like me, Draco, don't you," she murmured before pressing her lips to his.

Draco could taste the firewhiskey on her lips as her mouth opened to deepen the kiss. As much as he wanted to allow her to continue kissing him, he pulled away. "We can't do this," he said. Hermione's bottom lip began to tremble. "I do like you, and I do want to kiss you. I would just rather do it when you're sober."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding as she stroked his cheek. "No regrets, Draco," she whispered, kissing him once more.

"No regrets," he repeated.

The room was dark when Hermione awoke. Only she wasn't in her bed and she wasn't in her room. Sitting up slowly, she felt a heavy presence around her waist. Groaning, she peeked under the blankets, glad to see that they were both dressed. Turning her head to the right, she saw Draco sleeping peacefully beside her, his arm clinging to her waist as she lay back down. She turned onto her side to look at him. In the dark, she could feel Draco's eyes suddenly on her.

"Good morning," he murmured.

"It's so dark. Is it really morning?" she replied.

Draco nodded his head. "How are you feeling?" he asked, noticing the worry on her face.

She snuggled closer into his arms. "No regrets," she answered adamantly. With a smile, he leaned over and kissed her. Soon she was on her back with Draco over her. Hermione groaned into his mouth, but not for the reason Draco had hoped.

There was a knock at the door, followed by the sleepy voice of Scorpius calling out, "Daddy?" Their heads snapped towards the door as Draco hovered over Hermione.

"What do we do?" she asked in a panicked whisper.

"Stay here, be quiet. I'll take care of Scor," he instructed, kissing her once more before getting out of bed. He padded to the door and opened it just enough that Scorpius could not see into the room. "What's up, buddy?"

Scorpius looked up at his father with fearful eyes. "A strange man just stepped out of the fire," he replied. "Can I sleep with you?"

With his brow furrowed, Draco slipped out of the room and guided Scorpius back to his own. "Did this man see you?"

Scorpius shook his head. "I don't think so. I was still near the top of the stairs when I saw him, so I turned around and came to get you."

Draco breathed a sigh of relief. "Stay in here, and don't open the door unless it's me or Hermione," he commanded. Scorpius nodded that he understood and Draco locked the door from the outside. With his wand at the ready, he slowly descended the stairs to greet their intruder. However, he wasn't expecting to see Ron Weasley standing in his living room with Rose at his side.

"Weasley? What the hell are you doing here?" Draco asked, feeling anger for his former classmate but relief that it wasn't someone worse.

"Language, Mr. Draco," Rose chided, letting go of Ron's hand.

He smiled at the little girl and issued a short apology. The kind look he wore for her was not reciprocated for her father.

"I was just dropping her off," Ron explained. "I got called into work, so I thought I'd bring Rose back early."

Draco pointed his wand in the direction of the stairs and cast a silent unlocking spell. "Rosie, why don't you go on up to Scor's room," he suggested. Both men waited until they heard a bedroom door close before speaking again.

"So, are you and Hermione together now?" Ron inquired, his words laced with venom.

Draco shrugged his right shoulder nonchalantly. "We're friends."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "I'm sick and tired of this 'we're friends' bit the two of you keep playing. If you like her, fine, but don't stick my child in the middle of it." Ron turned back to the fireplace, intent on leaving, when Draco stopped him.

"Would it really have been so terrible to marry Hermione?" he asked.

Ron took another step forward, one foot now in the hearth. "I don't know," he muttered before leaving.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm home sick today. Can't you just feel my pouty face? It's not very attractive, to say the least. Needless to say, reviews would make me feel a million times better. No pressure though!

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Chapter 10  
Hermione sat on the front porch as she watched Rose and Scorpius throw snow at one another. They were red faced from the cold and exertion of hauling snow balls and crafting angels. Hermione began to wonder if this could be her life. It was a contenting thought really. Despite spending years as enemies, a bond had formed quickly between Draco and herself, as well as their children.

Draco sat down beside her, floating a tray of hot chocolate to the small end table. A blanket was draped over his shoulder, and once he was seated, he spread it out to cover them both. Hermione cuddled into his side as his arm slipped around her shoulders.

"Our kids are going to turn to icicles soon," Draco commented.

For just a moment, Hermione was taken aback by "our kids." She shook off the surprise, checking to see that Draco didn't notice it. He hadn't as his gaze was lovingly trained on the two snow-covered children on his front lawn. "Yeah, we should probably get them in soon," she replied. She sat up straight, effectively moving away from Draco. "We got an invitation to Christmas Eve dinner. From Ginny."

"Oh, well, have fun," he replied, standing up. He began to fold the blanket just to give himself something to do.

She too rose and took the blanket from his hands. "No, I mean _we _got an invitation."

"We who?" Draco asked, calling to the kids to go inside.

"We, us," Hermione said, feeling frustrated that he didn't follow, or pretended not to follow. "You, me, Rose, Scor. Us."

Draco laughed. "No, seriously, who's we?" He gathered picked up the blanket and tray of mugs and went inside after Scorpius. Hermione was right on his heels, ready to berate him. She watched as he helped Rose take off her boots before turning to her. "Do you want to go?"

That stopped her in her tracks. "Um, yes," she replied.

"So, then we'll go," he decided, shrugging his shoulders as he took off Rose's other shoe. "I'll be on my best behavior. Scor will fall asleep in his mashed potatoes again."

"One time!" Scorpius cried exasperatedly, as he struggled with the turtleneck he was attempting to take off. Hermione laughed and helped him before hugging him.

"You'll be a perfect gentleman, I reckon," she told him. Scorpius flashed Draco a smug, "see there" smile and hugged Hermione. "How about you and Rosie meet me in the kitchen? I'll make you some lunch."

They waited until the kids were out of sight before restarting their conversation. "My main concern is Ron," Draco started. He had already told her about the conversation they had had two mornings ago when he dropped off Rose.

Hermione shook her head. "Ron won't be there; he's working," she told him, noting the instant relief on his face. "Molly is the one we need to worry about. She never really forgave Ron and me for not marrying. I can't begin to imagine how she'll react now that we broke up and I've..."

Draco encircled her waist with his arms, pulling her in as close to himself as he could, and kissed her. "Say it with me, moved on," he murmured against her lips.

Giggling, she repeated his words before pulling back. Soft voices carried from the kitchen, and Hermione removed herself completely from his grasp to hear them better. It was Scorpius who spoke first.

"I told you Santa had magic. That's why your mummy and my daddy are gonna get married." He sounded so sure of himself, so much like Draco.

"But what about my Daddy?" Rose asked, doubtful as ever that he was wrong. "What happens to him?"

There were a few beats where the only sound Draco could hear was Hermione's and his breathing. His gaze flickered over to Hermione with her drawn brows and angry eyes. "What?" he mouthed.

"Did you tell your son that we're getting married?" she hissed.

He shushed her harshly, but told her no just as Scorpius formulated an answer.

"My daddy can be your daddy," he told her. "He's really good at it. Besides, you're sharing your mummy with me, so I should share my daddy with you."

"But I already have one," the little girl replied, sounding close to tears.

Having heard enough, Hermione and Draco entered the kitchen, startling the two children.

"Rosie? You okay?" Draco asked, kneeling down so they were at eye level.

She glared angrily at him, not caring the slightest that he seemed genuinely concerned. "You're not my dad," she declared loudly before turning and running out of the kitchen.

"I'll go-" Hermione started to say, but was quickly stopped by Draco.

"Let me talk to her," he said quietly. He gave her no time to protest as he walked out of the kitchen, leaving her with Scorpius.

He was in his chair, staring glumly at the place mat in front of him. Hermione squeezed next to him and turned his chin up to look at her. "Hey, there is nothing for you to feel bad about," she told him sternly, but kindly; in a way only Hermione could do it. He nodded uncertainly, but she smiled at him anyway. "I'm making you lunch. How does peanut butter and jelly sound?"

"Good," he replied, his spirits slightly more perked now that he was off the hook for upsetting Rose.

Upstairs, Rose sat on the floor in the middle of Scorpius's room. A tiny cyclone of toys whirled in front of her until the door opened. Her concentration was broken when Draco entered and sat down across from her.

"Someone's discovered her magic, I see," he said, hoping to break the ice. Rose shrugged and started to fiddle with a miniature toy figure. "Can we talk? Just you and me."

"What about?" she mumbled.

He reached out and took the toy from her hand. "Rose, I'm not looking to replace your dad. Your mum, she's really special to me. And I know you're really special to her. I also know that if you don't like me, then I don't have much of a chance with your mum."

Rose looked up from the toys and met Draco's eyes. "I do like you. And I know that my mummy likes you, but Daddy doesn't. Probably because Mummy does," she reasoned. Draco chuckled at the astute three year old. "Do you love her?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Rosie, I do," he admitted.

"Daddy used to say that he loved her too," she replied sadly. Her face was cast down so all Draco could see was a curtain of red curls cover much of her face. He could swear her bottom lip trembled as she spoke, "He stopped, though, didn't he?"

Draco watched as Rose stood up, walked around the small pile of toys, and sat in his lap. He held her close, glad that she was comfortable enough with him to do it. "I don't think that's what happened," he murmured, smoothing her hair away from her face. Tears began to dampen the fabric of his shirt. "Sweetie, I know this all seems really complicated now, but you have to remember that no matter what's going on, you have a lot of people who really, really love you."

Rose sniffled, rubbing at her eyes as she looked up at him. "Even you?" she asked, hiccuping as she spoke.

With a smile, he replied, "Even me."

Rose wrapped her arms around Draco's neck quickly before pulling back. "Are you gonna marry her?" she asked.

"Hopefully, one day." 


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for all the well wishes I received! I definitely feel better, and I think it's because of you. I'm not a doctor so I could be wrong, but let's go with it anyway. The downside to being sick (ya know, besides being sick) is the damage I can do with a credit card. New purse, new jewelry, new clothes. I swear, I needed them all! Anyhow, I'm done digressing. Enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 11  
The box was lightweight, but to Draco it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds in his pocket. He paced nervously around the living room. Scorpius and Rose were napping, and Hermione was due back from visiting her parents' graves any moment. He had spent his time debating the proper moment to propose. Perhaps two weeks was too soon; surely Hermione would argue that point. But the two weeks they had spent as a couple had already proven to him that Hermione Granger was the one and only woman with whom he wanted to spend his life.

The front door opened and closed, and Draco pushed the box further into his pocket. He moved to the archway that separated the living room from the front entry, watching as Hermione carelessly dropped her purse, coat, and boots onto the floor. Her eyes were rimmed red and her cheeks were flushed from the cold.

"May I have a hug?" she asked, looping her arms around his neck. Draco complied, holding her close, though he feared that she may feel the contents of his pocket. If she did, she never let on. Moments later, he pulled away and led her to the sofa to sit. "Why is it so quiet?" she wondered.

"The kids are napping, probably for another twenty minutes or so," he ventured a guess. His hands fidgeted in his lap until Hermione pulled them into her own. Her eyes flashed a worried look. "There's something I want to ask you."

"Okay, go ahead," she replied warily.

He hadn't intended to ask just then, but the time seemed right. Snow had just begun to fall outside, light cascades of white powder that clung to the rims of the windows. Draco cleared his throat to speak. "These past few weeks...I didn't know that I could feel this way about anyone. I wasn't sure I even knew how to love anyone, properly love anyone, until Scorpius was born. It's a scary feeling that there's room in my heart to love two more people, because I do love you and Rose."

"We love you too," she whispered, assuring him that he was going in the right direction.

Taking another deep breath, he continued. "Remember when I told you that all guys are jerks?" Hermione nodded. "And I said that one day you'll meet a guy who makes it his mission to prove that he's less of a jerk than the rest of them?" Again, she nodded, her brows knitting together in confusion. "I want to be that guy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Draco, are you...?" she started to ask, but he cut her off.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the box. "I want to marry you." He pulled open the lid to reveal a delicate diamond set in a platinum band. Hermione's eyes widened as she looked from him to the ring before letting her gaze settle on him once more. She reached into the box and pulled the ring out of its velvety pillow. She slid the diamond onto her hand and kissed him lovingly. When he pulled back, chuckling, he asked, "Is that a yes?"

"You're not going to lead me on for five years without ever actually marrying me?" she asked. Draco shook his head. "Then yes, my answer is yes. The only thing is-"

"You want to keep this quiet?" he deduced.

She nodded. "Is that okay?" she asked. "It's just with this dinner tonight at the Weasleys, I know Molly is still unhappy that Ron and I broke up. From what Ginny told me, they all know you and I are together. I just don't want to spring this on them."

Taking her left hand in his own, Draco slipped off the engagement ring to her horror. Before she could protest, he took her right hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. "There, now only we know," he declared, kissing her knuckles. "We should wake the kids, get them ready for dinner."

Hermione agreed and followed him upstairs, hand in hand. Both were surprised to find Rose and Scorpius sitting on the top step, grinning wildly at them. Draco noticed the devious gleam in Scorpius's gray eyes. They had heard everything.

"You can't tell anyone, either of you," Draco told them, mustering up the most stern look he could. Scorpius continued to giggle as his father stared him down, but Rose nodded her head in agreement. Draco picked up the little girl and continued on to Scorpius's room, Hermione in tow. Scorpius remained on his step, his laughter continuing until he heard his father's remark. "Wouldn't want Santa to only bring the good kids presents, now would we."

The small blonde rose and stormed to his room. "Rosie isn't the only good kid in this house," he pouted, moving closer to Hermione to make her his ally.

Hermione stroked his hair. "Maybe if you put on some pants, Santa will think you're a good boy," she suggested, trying to hold back her laughter. He scowled, but did as he was told. Soon, the quartet was dressed and ready to leave. They arrived outside of the Burrow minutes later after Apparating in shifts. Draco held Rose against his side, his other hand interlaced with Hermione's fingers. Scorpius kept a tight grip on her hand, feeling the fear and worry that Hermione emitted. She dropped Draco's hand momentarily to push open the front door.

The sitting room was decorated in festive, Christmas colors. The tree shone brightly in the corner, the lights reflecting off of the metallic wrapping paper of the mountain of presents underneath. George and Angelina Weasley were the only ones seated in the living room when they entered. George immediately reached for Rose, passing a friendly smile to Draco as he did so.

"I think everyone else is in the kitchen decorating cookies," Angelina announced. She bent down to Scorpius's level. "Would you like to help?"

Scorpius glanced up at Hermione questioningly. "Can Rosie come too?" he asked. Hermione nodded and helped him out of his heavy winter coat.

"Scor, no running," Draco warned as the two children were ready to take off. The little boy scowled but slowed down to walk beside Rose.

"So, why aren't you two in the kitchen helping?" Hermione asked, noticing the less than excited expression Angelina wore.

"We're the only ones who know," Angelina replied.

"Know what?" Draco inquired.

"Ron's coming," George answered for his wife. "And apparently not alone."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
Hermione stood, shocked to her core. It shouldn't have startled her to hear that her former fiance had moved on. After all, hadn't she and Draco gotten engaged just an hour before arriving? But it did bother her. And more than she would have liked.

"Who?" she asked quietly, shrugging off the arm that Draco placed around her back.

Angelina shook her head. "We think Lavendar Brown," George said, snorting at the thought. The high pitched, overly enthusiastic, former Gryffindor had never been a favorite of the Weasley family. Though Ron's relationship with Lavendar hadn't lasted long, most of the Weasley siblings knew of her.

"Well, as long as he's happy," she muttered. She stalked off towards the kitchen, leaving Draco alone with George and Angelina. He watched as she stalked into the kitchen and then heard the back door close. For a single moment, he debated giving her some space. Worry filled his mind, and he knew he had to go to her.

The kitchen was crowded as he passed through. Draco pretended to ignore the concerned looks he received as he passed not only Rose and Scorpius, but Molly Weasley as well. The night air was bitterly cold, nipping at any skin not covered by his thick sweater. He spotted Hermione near the tool shed, a few feet from the house.

"Are you not over him?" he asked, his quiet voice startling the witch. Hermione turned to him, glaring angrily at his accusation. "Why do you seem so upset that he's bringing someone?"

"I'm not," she replied. "It's just...the last time we spoke he asked what it would take to get me to come home. But now he's back with her."

Draco could feel his pulse quicken. "And you're with me," he reminded her.

She took a step closer to him, taking his hand in her own. "I know that," she said softly. "I don't know why I'm getting myself all worked up over him."

Draco lifted her right hand, the one that held his, and looked at the engagement ring he'd given her. "We don't have to do this if you're not ready," he consented.

Hermione touched her free hand to Draco's cheek and held his gaze. "I want this," she replied. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, with someone who wants me and loves me too. Ron and I, if I'd never gotten pregnant, we wouldn't have lasted. But I firmly believe that this is right for the both of us."

Draco pulled her hand away from his face, but did not let it go. He pulled her closer, wrapping her arms around his torso before hugging her. "Are you okay now?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

Tilting her head up, she flashed him a quick smile. "Yeah, just a momentary lapse of sanity," she assured him. "Draco, I want to tell them."

With a smile, Draco stepped out of her embrace. He pulled her right hand into his and slipped off the ring. Then he moved it back to its proper place. Their fingers laced together as they walked back into the house.

"Daddy!" Rose cried excitedly. Hermione and Draco both snapped their heads to the kitchen's entryway as Ron walked in. He smiled and leaned down to hoist Rose up in his arms.

"Happy Christmas, Rosie," he murmured, kissing her cheek. His blue gaze flickered over to the door where Draco and Hermione stood, hand in hand. "Mione," he nodded to her. She greeted him quietly, tightening her grip on Draco's hand in a search for comfort.

Molly cleared her throat. "Scorpius and Rose told me something interesting," she shared, her eyes settling on the couple. Draco's eyes narrowed on his son as he asked Molly to expound on her comment. "Is it true the two of you have an announcement to make?"

Hermione pulled in a deep breath. "We're getting married."

The announcement was met with stunned silence. Hermione's eyes moved around the room until they landed on Ron. It didn't surprise her at all to see that he was less than thrilled by what she had told them. Quickly, she tore her gaze away and settled it on Mrs. Weasley. She watched as Molly rounded the table and stood before them.

"Mrs. Weasley, I know you wanted-" Hermione began to say, but she was cut off by the Weasley matriarch.

"This isn't the most terrible thing that could have happened," Molly declared. She turned to Draco and smiled kindly. "Hermione is like a daughter to me. If I find out you've hurt her in any way you'll have me to deal with." Gray eyes widened at the threat, but Draco nodded solemnly.

"So, you're not mad?" Hermione asked, brows furrowed though an incredulous smile touched her lips.

"I've always said that child needs two full-time parents," Molly replied.

From the doorway, Ron guffawed. "It's been two weeks," he cried. "Did the ferret knock you up too?"

Ginny moved over to the table and took Scorpius's hand and led him out of the kitchen. Harry took Rose from Ron's arms and followed his wife.

"Is it so hard to believe that someone would want to marry me for no other reason than that he loves me?" Hermione inquired, her voice soft and sad.

Ron's mouth hung open, taken aback by her painful question. He had loved her once upon a time, but there were too many differences and not enough similarities to make them compatible. Rose had been the only thing that kept them together for as long as they had. He sighed and shook his head. "No," he said. "No, it's not. You deserve to be with someone who loves you."

Tears brimmed in her brown eyes. "Thank you, Ron," she murmured, leaning against Draco. He nodded stiffly and exited the kitchen.

Ginny poked her head back in, Scorpius at her side. "Is the coast clear?" she asked. When Hermione nodded, Ginny moved further into the kitchen. "Good, because I need to see that ring."

Hours later, after the meal and desserts and presents, long after Rose and Scorpius had fallen asleep, Hermione and Draco returned home with the little ones. They tucked the children into bed and quietly closed the door behind them. Draco led Hermione downstairs.

The Christmas tree was lit, casting a soft glow on the otherwise dark living room. As they stood wrapped in one another's embrace, Hermione looked up at Draco. "Marry me," she murmured.

"I think I already asked you that," he replied.

Hermione shook her head. "No. Now," she said. "Let's get married tonight."

Draco stepped away from her. "Don't you think that's a bit soon?" he asked.

"Which part of our relationship hasn't been fast?" she asked, laughing softly.

There was no disagreeing with that statement. "What do we do about the kids?" he inquired, knowing she had a plan brewing in her mind.

"Well," she said, flashing a devious smile, "we can take them with us or have Ginny watch them tonight. Scor will get his Christmas wish either way."

Draco had forgotten about the letter his son had written weeks earlier, asking for a mother for Christmas. Hermione was right; he was getting his wish. "I think they would want to be there," he decided. "Let's get them up."

He moved around her, his foot touching the bottom step before she grabbed his arm. Hermione turned him around to face her, guiding him down until her lips touched his. "We're getting married," she murmured.


	13. Chapter 13

So, I'm giving you a new chapter because I have a funny little conversation to share with you all. Well, at least I found it funny. I went to my Mom's house yesterday (and returned with containers full of leftovers! Thanks Mom!) But we got to talking, and suddenly she comes out with this:

Mom: Why can't you be more like Emma Watson?

Me: You mean the multi-million dollar movie career?

Mom: No.

Me: The Burberry modeling contract, because I'd take that.

Mom: No.

Me: The Ivy League education? Because I already got my degree four years ago.

Mom: No. The haircut. You should get her haircut. It would look so adorable!

Me: No.

I spent the next five minutes explaining that if I can't pull my hair back into a ponytail, I'm not getting the cut. There is no room for a bad hair day with a pixie cut, and I am beyond prone to bad hair days. Isn't it enough that I already have Hermione hair? I just cut it, and it looks like her hair in the third movie. And when I put on my glasses, I'm Liz Lemon.

Anyway, tangent over. Enjoy the chapter! It's the last one before the Epilogue.

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Chapter 13  
Christmas morning dawned as two anxious, excited children bounded into the master bedroom. Scorpius was the first to jump on the bed, landing in between Draco and Hermione. He shook Hermione awake first.

"It's Christmas!" he declared. "Wake up." He shook harder until Hermione's eyes blinked open, then he moved on to Draco.

Hermione pulled herself into a seated position and noticed Rose hanging back by the foot of the bed. She beckoned the little girl to her. Rose climbed onto the bed and into her mother's lap.

"Happy Christmas," Rose whispered, kissing Hermione's cheek.

Hermione hugged her close. "Happy Christmas, sweetheart," Hermione replied sleepily. "Happy Christmas, Scor."

Scorpius cocked his head to the side as he watched her. "Can I call you Mummy now?" he asked. "Since you and Daddy got married, I mean."

Draco was beginning to wake beside them. His gaze passed between Hermione and Scorpius, waiting for her answer.

Hermione smiled warmly at the small blonde by her side. "I really want to be your mum, Scor," she told him earnestly.

The smile Scorpius returned stretched from ear to ear, crinkling his gray eyes. "I got my wish from Santa," he replied, throwing his arms around her neck, tackling her into the pillows. "Daddy was right. He's magic."

Hermione hugged Scorpius tightly before pulling away. She moved Rose off of her lap and climbed out of bed. "I think it's time for presents and some breakfast," she decided. Scorpius followed Hermione, but Rose and Draco remained on the bed.

"What do I call you now?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

Draco sat up and put his hand over her smaller one. "I made you a promise that I wouldn't take your dad's place," he said, carefully choosing his words. "I want you to do what makes you the most comfortable."

Rose bit her bottom lip as she glanced down at his hand. "Can I...can I have two daddies?" she asked.

It wasn't until he replied, "Of course," that she looked up, catching the loving look in Draco's eyes. She climbed into his lap and hugged him.

"I love you," she murmured, holding him tighter.

Draco's arms wound around her tiny form. "I love you too, Rosie," he replied, kissing the top of her head. They stayed together in their embrace until they heard Scorpius call out for them. Draco chuckled, and gave her a light squeeze. "I think maybe we should get downstairs. Scor is getting impatient."

When Draco loosened his grip on her, Rose climbed out of his lap. "So, Scor is my brother now, then?" she asked.

Draco threw back his blankets and stood, stretching his tall form. "Yeah, he is," Draco replied, picking her up. "Hope you aren't too bummed."

Rose giggled, resting her head against his. "I don't mind."

They joined Hermione and Scorpius in the living room. Scorpius sat beside the mountain of presents, anxiously glaring at his father for the say so to dive in. Draco set Rose on the floor beside him and joined his wife on the sofa. "Okay, start opening," Draco declared, watching amusedly as Scorpius and Rose began tearing apart wrapping paper.

"So, what did you and Rose talk about?" Hermione asked, leaning in close so as not to distract the excited children.

Draco smirked, kissing her temple. "None of your business," he murmured, turning his attention back to the gift wrap that flew around the living room.

"My kid, my business," Hermione countered, returning his smirk.

"It was nothing," he replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "She wants me to be her dad too."

Hermione smiled, stroking his cheek. "Oh honey, that's not nothing," she murmured. "I'll admit I was sort of afraid of how she would take all of this. We," she passed her hand back and forth between them, "fell in love so fast. I was scared that maybe I was doing the wrong thing, but I could tell weeks ago that she loved you."

"I love her too," he confessed. "Almost as much as I love her mother. Well, maybe just as much, just in a different way."

Hermione leaned in and kissed him. They didn't pull away from one another's lips until they heard the kids groan. "No kissing!" they said in unison. Rolling his eyes, Draco rose from the couch and grabbed Scorpius, hoisting him into the air.

"Breakfast then," he decided, carrying his son to the kitchen as Hermione and Rose followed behind them. Draco put Scorpius in his chair before helping Rose into hers. Then he and Hermione began cooking breakfast - pancakes and bacon and Hermione's homemade cinnamon rolls. Draco handed each child a mug of hot chocolate before plating breakfast for them. The quartet ate, excitedly discussing their gifts and deciding which was the best. When they finished eating, Hermione and Draco cleared the dishes and began washing as Scorpius and Rose ran back to the living room to play with their new toys.

"Do you think Scor was on the right track with the whole Santa being magic?" Hermione asked as she dried each plate Draco handed her.

He shook his head, using his shoulder to push his hair out of his eyes. "I told him that because I didn't think I could actually give him a mother," Draco replied. "Besides, I wouldn't have taken you to be someone who still believes in Santa Claus."

She chose to ignore his last comment. "Yeah, but what if it really was magic that brought us together?" she persisted. "I mean running into each other in the bookshop, and then Ron and me breaking up and us needing a place to stay. We moved in together, dated, got engaged, and got married in three weeks' time. What if there really was magic behind it all?"

He shut off the water, chuckling to himself as he turned to her, resting his hands on her arms. "I would have called it fate," he replied. "What's happened with us, it wasn't some spell. We're good for each other. Perfect, if you ask me. Santa Claus did not bring us together. My son and your nephew did."

Chuckling, she stretched up on her toes, touching her lips to his. "Yeah, you're right," she agreed. "I'm kind of a big fan of fate."

"This has been a really good Christmas season," he mused, kissing her again. "Ya know, I'm kind of afraid of what Scor's letter to Santa is going to look like next year."


	14. Epilogue

So, here's the end. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me this far. Remember to read "A Helping Hand" and I'm working on another Draco/Hermione story, as well. Stay tuned!

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Epilogue

_Dear Santa,_

_Thank you for the mummy you brought me last year. This year me and Rose want a baby brother or a sister._

**_A sister please._**

_A brother would be fine too. You did a really good job with my wish last year, so I'm hoping you can do your magic again this year. Rosie and I ate all our veggies all year and did what Mummy and Daddy told us to._

_Thank you again,_

_Scorpius and **Rose**_

The two children sat at the kitchen table, reading over their letter once more. "I think it's good," Rose decided, setting down the purple crayon she used to write her portion of the letter.

Scorpius frowned, keeping his green crayon in hand. "Do you think maybe we should tell him about the other good things we did this year?" he asked.

"I don't remember anything else," she replied, taking the crayon from her stepbrother.

His small brow furrowed as he tried to think of anything good they could have done. "We didn't drop Lily when Auntie Ginny let us hold her," he reminded her. "Does that count?" Rose shook her head and folded the letter in half. She climbed down from her chair and left the kitchen.

Hermione was seated in the living room with the latest edition of the Daily Prophet open in front of her. Rose pulled the newspaper down so it no longer blocked her face. "Hi, baby," Hermione greeted her. "What do you have there?"

Rose handed it to her. Hermione began to unfold it. "No peeking," Rose admonished. "It's for Santa, but Scor and I need you or Daddy to send it for us." Hermione folded the letter in half again and promised to send it out as soon as possible.

"Hey, are you ready to go to your dad's house yet?" Hermione asked, closing the paper. Rose shook her head. "Well, I need you to get ready because he'll be here in," she looked at the clock, "fifteen minutes."

Rose frowned. "I don't want to go to Dad's house," she complained. "I don't like that Lavendar lady. She sounds funny and says that you'll never find out if I eat a cookie before bed. Can't I just stay here with you and Daddy and Scor?"

Hermione groaned, knowing that this fight would be coming. "Rosie, it's been a month since you've seen him. He misses you and wants to spend some time with you."

The little girl stomped her foot. "Fine," she said, turning and heading up the stairs. Minutes later, the floo activated and Ron stepped into the living room. Hermione greeted him cordially and they settled into a comfortable silence until Rose came down.

"Hi, Dad," she muttered, fiddling with the strap on her bag. Under her left arm, she tucked her favorite bear and blanket.

Hermione knelt beside her, fixing her sweater as a ruse to whisper in her ear. "Be nice to your dad," she said. "And no cookies before bed. Don't worry, baby. You'll be home tomorrow."

Rose hugged her mother goodbye. "Can't I stay here?" she tried again.

The older woman shook her head and kissed the little girl's cheek. "Sorry." She stood back up as Ron approached, taking hold of Rose's hand. The little girl glanced back once more and waved to her mother before she and Ron vanished in the green flames. Hermione sat back down on the couch and sighed.

"Did Rosie have to leave already?"

She looked up and watched as Scorpius came closer. "Yeah, sweetie, she did," Hermione confirmed. "She'll be home tomorrow though."

Scorpius moved between her legs and balanced on her right leg. "Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight?" he asked, resting his head against her shoulder. "I don't like it when it's just me in my room."

For the past year, it had become a custom for the little boy to join his parents at night when Rose stayed with Ron. For the first few months, he crafted excuses - the moon was too bright, the tree outside his bedroom window cast scary shadows on the wall, the bathroom sink was dripping too loudly - before he realized they would let him sleep in their bed so long as he asked.

Hermione wound her arms around him. "You know you can sleep in our bed," she told him.

"Thank you, Mummy," he mumbled, kissing her cheek. "When's Daddy coming home?"

"Soon. He had to talk to Uncle Harry about something," she replied. "Why don't you go play? I'll let you know when he comes home."

Scorpius hopped off of her lap and went to his room. Making sure that he was out of sight, Hermione unfolded their letter to Santa and read it, a smile creeping to her lips when she was finished.

The front door opened just then. "Honey, I'm home," Draco called out. Hermione stuffed the letter into her pocket and rose from the couch. She greeted him at the front door with a kiss.

"Things go well with Harry?" she asked.

Draco nodded. "He said he'd be more than happy to help me renovate the guest room into a bedroom for Rose. It would be good for her to have her own room."

"Maybe hold off on those plans for a bit. There are two things I need to show you," Hermione told him, taking his hand. She led him upstairs. When they reached their bedroom, she sat him down on the bed and handed him the letter.

Draco paled as he read the note. "Four weeks to make a baby?" he mumbled, rereading the letter.

Hermione smiled. "Wait here," she said, leaving the room. She returned seconds later with her hands behind her back. Draco looked up from the letter, bothered by the smile that seemed to grow despite his anxiety. She handed him a white stick with a pink plus sign in the middle of it.

"What is this thing?" he asked, studying the stick.

"It's a pregnancy test," she told him. "You don't have to worry about that letter. We're already pregnant."

Draco dropped the stick and pulled her into a hug. "We're having a baby?" he asked excitedly. Hermione nodded happily. "We're having a baby!"

"I say we give the kids an early Christmas present," she decided.

The End.


End file.
